Shadowrun: The Bloody Truth
by Scarlet SPARTAN
Summary: Michael SvitKona enters into the corporate world without much choice in the matter. However, when he realizes the truth he is forced into a war in which he has been fighting on the wrong side all along.
1. PROLOGUE

Michael Svit-Kona ran through the alleyways of the slums in Santos, Brazil. He was accompanied by seven Elves and five trolls. Michael was part of an RNA recon team, which had been tasked with infiltrating a Lineage stronghold and securing information about the whereabouts of an ancient magical Artifact. This was Michael's first mission as an operative of RNA, and his heart was beating so fast he could hear it through the thunder and the rain that was falling all around them.

They passed several bonfires, and huts containing the poorest of the poor and finally their leader, an Elf named Arya Svit-Kona, ordered them to halt. They had the same last name but they weren't necessary related, they were both Elves, but they had never known each other during their childhood like siblings would. Instead they came from the same Elvin clan, which could be hundreds or even thousands strong, they only had one thing in common.

Arya's voice tore Michael from his thoughts, "Michael! Once we go in I want you to teleport downward, you'll go down three floors but just cushion your landing by casting a gust spell at your feet. Once you get down there you'll be right next to the room where the documents are but don't do anything. We'll go in and make our way to you, but until we get there hang tight." The others protested the fact that she let a rookie handle such an important role but she just ignored them, the trolls also grumbled in protest as she told them to stay back and cover their exit.

Three Elves quietly cut a hole in the wall of the building and just as Arya had told him Michael teleported down and remained hidden deep inside the building. He cringed as a new smell hung in the air, that of urine and mold. He signaled the rest and they began to move through the building, killing guards quietly along the way. After around five minutes of waiting Arya said to Michael on the commlink, "Michael, we're having some trouble getting to where you are, every path is blocked. Just get the documents and get out of there as quickly as you can." Michael tapped his 'affirmative' button and checked himself to make sure nothing was rattling.

The only weapon he could use without noise was his Katana, he was grateful now for all the training he had done with it. He walked to a desk lit with a lamp and pulled a folder off the desk filled with papers, and rock samples, and other findings. The moments he did so however, a guard spotted him. The guard didn't get a chance to scream or even yell out before Michael's katana found it's way halfway buried in his skull. Michael dragged his body into the shadows and then ran through the halls fully expecting a counter-response. As he reached the end of a hallway he heard loud noises coming from the top of the building and then the alarm went off. He teleported up three floors where he found himself behind a large group of Lineage thugs rallying for an attack. Michael primed and threw three grenades into the crowd and then ducked behind a corner, to shield himself from the blast.

There was a loud _BOOM_ and what used to be five humans, three dwarves, and a troll was just a black mess full of body parts. Michael ran past the small hole and several dead Lineage soldiers. He yelled into his commlink, "Arya, I have the package, say again I have the package. I'm on the third floor and ready to rendezvous for extraction!" There was no answer for a moment then Arya said in a hurry, "Understood. Meet us on the roof, we'll glide down." Michael thought for a moment and then said reluctantly, "Roger that. I'll be there in ten. He teleported through the floors until he reached the seventh and then he had to take the stairs, needless to say by the time he got to the roof everyone was there. Arya began telling them all what to do when they were all surrounded by Lineage soldiers.

Dwarves with shotguns, humans with rifles, trolls with miniguns, and even their own kind, elves with katanas. There were a series of clicking noises from the weapons of both sides loading and bolting new rounds. Then suddenly, as if some invisible force had told them to, all of the Lineage soldiers opened fire at once. Bullets, and shells, and flying blades were all hurled at them. For Michael all of this seemed to occur in slow motion, the first bullets coming at them seemed to be going a fraction of their normal speed, he didn't know if this was some supernatural magic power he had gained or if it was just his adrenaline pumping but he did know that he had to get out of there.

With every ounce of speed and courage he had left he reached out for Arya. Once his arms were around her he teleported them both off the roof and glided them both down to a nearby lower building. Meanwhile, as they made their escape, their RNA comrades were torn to pieces by the onslaught unleashed upon them by the Lineage. Upon realizing their fate Arya asked, "How could you!? How could you do that!?" Michael was surprised at this response, "What do you mean? I saved you, I saved us both, and the files." She released herself from his grasp once they landed on the building, "No! You abandoned your comrades, you took the easy way out while they were slaughtered! They died like heroes and you ran like a coward! And you took me with you! Why? I wanted to die with my team!" Michael couldn't believe what he was hearing, he had saved her life and accomplished the mission. If not for him, the Lineage would still have the information to another artifact. He slung his weapon on his soldier and turned away from Arya, "Hate me if you want but in case you haven't noticed, we're still in a combat zone and I intend to complete the mission."

They climbed down the fire escape and reached the street to find that the ground level of the building where the Lineage were was surrounded by police. The SWAT teams were preparing to enter the building and the Lineage inside were squaring off for another fire-fight. "Let's get out of here" Michael said awkwardly, "Unless you'd like to join in on the action and get yourself killed." Arya walked by his side not uttering a word to his latest statement. The two Elves made their way back to the RNA headquarters where one expected to be welcomed like a hero, and the other sought revenge.


	2. A Debt Repaid

Michael walked through the polished floors of the RNA Headquarters in Santos, Brazil. After the mission the previous night he had been called by the RNA Council for a meeting. For what purpose he still did not know. As he walked through the halls it seemed oddly empty and left him with a feeling of discomfort. As he reached the two double doors which hid the large council room which lay beyond he showed the two guards standing on the opposite sides of the doors his identification and scanned his hand on a biometric pad. Once everything checked out the doors opened for him and he stepped inside into the bright light.

The room was large and circular, too large in Michael's opinion to be used only as a meeting room, and had ten large panes of glass on the ceiling that allowed the sun to shine down on him and temporarily blind him. As he walked forward to stand in a red painted square on the floor he was warmed by the sun's light which lit every corner of the room. He glanced up at the large podium which sat the heads of the RNA in this particular region, in front of each person was a name plate carved into the stone.

There were four names etched into the stone resting in front of four people from each race that worked with the RNA. There was Richard Gastov, a Human, Maliki Gi'loket, a troll, Hrothgar Hallisti, a dwarf, and Julianos Talaendrill, an elf. As Michael stood there in the middle of the circular room looking at the menacingly large podium, he knew that this was not going to be a pleasant meeting. First the Human, Richard Gastov rose to speak.

"Michael Svit-Kona, you have been called here today to discuss your mission last night. Each of the councilors will ask you questions about the mission and any other details they wish. You are to answer these questions respectfully and to the best of your ability. Do you understand?" Michael stood straigher, "Yes sir." The Human began to sit, "Very well, we will begin with the honorable Maliki Gi'loket."

The troll stood and spoke to Michael, obviously trying hard to communicate with him without using his warbled speech, "Mr. Svit-Kona, tell us what happened to the deceased members of your team." Michael described to them what had happened and that they went down fighting to the very end. This seemed to please Maliki and Richard, but the other two were not as easily convinced.

Next the Human stood, "Mr. Svit-Kona, in your opinion how were the defenses and overall response of the Lineage?" Michael said, "Sir, in my opinion the Lineage were un-organized, sloppy, and general caught off-guard by our attack." The Human sat down after asking similar questions about the combat readiness and skill of the Lineage." Hrothgar Hallisti stood next and asked several questions aimed at Michael and his inexperience and inability to save as many people as he could.

The Elf stood and with a mean look in his eyes asked Michael more questions than all of the others. "Why did you leave your team?" Michael thought for a moment, "Sir because I had to focus on the objectives at hand. My mission was to get the documents, and I did." Then he asked, "Why did you only save one member of your team? You could have sacrificed yourself and saved many more than just one person!" Michael was caught off-guard by this attitude, "Sir, under the circumstances there just wasn't enough time." The questions from the Elf went on like that for a while until finally he began raising his voice and yelling at Michael.

Finally, the Human had to actually physically stop him from saying much more. The four counsilors left the large room to deliberate upon what Michael had told them. Suddenly, it dawned on Michael and he thought to himself, _'The RNA doesn't care how many people die, as long as they get their artifacts. It's the Elves and the Dwarves with their high and mighty attitudes that want me fired because I ran away from a fight.'_ Michael stood there for a long time wondering whether he would be fired or if it was Arya who had turned him in. In his mind, he did nothing wrong, he completed the mission and managed to save his commanding officer. What more did they want?

Finally, after waiting for what seemed like forever the councilors returned from deliberating and the Human, Richard Gastov stood. "Michael Svit-Kona, the council congradulates you on a job well-done, you are to be commended for your actions. You have been reassigned to another post in Seattle, Washington. Good luck." Michael knew what this was about, the council was split in half on what to do with him. One half didn't care who died, they had their information to the next artifact. But the other half wanted him fired for allowing his comrades to die. So they probably came up with a compromise and assigned him to a dead-end job in Seattle. None-the-less Michael still thanked them for the reassignment and was dismissed.

As he walked out of the RNA HQ to board his plane for Seattle he ran across Arya. Michael's temper boiled but he kept his mood in check and asked as nicely as he could in his rage, "How are you Arya?" She gave him a glare and said, "I've been better." Then Michael suddenly abandoned small-talk and said, "Listen Arya, you have to tell me the truth. I don't care if it's true or not but I need to know before I go. Did you get me reassigned to Seattle?" Arya gave him a long hard look and then finally said flatly, "No."

Michael looked at her in disbelief and asked her the same thing in their ancient Elven language. He knew that she couldn't lie if she was asked a question in their language and finally she faltered. "Alright! Yes, I did get you reassigned." Michael turned red with anger, "Why!?" She held up a slender finger to stop him right there, "Before you even think about going on know this: The Lineage have been building up their weapon supplies for weeks now. There has been hardly any enemy activity in the past month, why do you think it was so easy to get inside their stronghold last night? They're in hiding, Michael, building up their numbers and their weapons so they can take us out once and for all."

Michael looked at her, speechless and she continued, "The biggest battle with the Lineage any of us have ever seen is on the horizon and it's getting closer fast. I know I didn't thank you for saving my life last night and I probably should have, but this is my way of doing it. Those 'councilors' don't know the first thing about who we're dealing with. They're completely oblivious to what's about to happen, and it's going to get a lot of people killed, whether they're part of this or not. You probably haven't realized this since you're new but everyone who's smart is taking whatever they can and getting out of Brazil any way possible. You'll see this yourself when you get on the plane to Seattle, it'll be full of people." She turned to walk away and said over her shoulder, "You saved my life, and now I'm saving yours. Goodbye Michael."

She walked away and vanished behind a corner. He never saw her again. Michael walked outside and got in a taxi which took him to the airport. He waited in several lines which seemed to go on forever before he finally boarded his plane. As he walked inside, just as Arya had predicted, it was full of people trying to leave Brazil. He sat down in an empty seat and strapped himself down. After even more waiting the plane finally lifted off. Michael peered out the window to see the large city fading away, "I guess your debt is paid Arya. Goodbye."


	3. Back in Business

Michael sloshed through the soaked streets of Seattle. The dismal weather matched his attitude perfectly. A "dead-end" job was an understatement for his new post in Washington. There were no jobs, no contracts, no friendly faces, and worst of all no non-humans to get to know. Michael felt like he was a dove in a pack of vultures and not just metaphorically either, turn your back in this town and you paid that price. Michael's thoughts suddenly thought back to Arya. Since he had left Brazil barely a month ago, it had become a major war zone much like Africa in the early 21st century. Michael had thought that Arya could hold her own but judging from what he heard about the conditions down there, he didn't know what to think anymore.

Michael was on his way to a local trainer. The RNA office here was inactive to say the least, the only way Michael could make any money here through the RNA was to be a security guard, that just wasn't his style. Since leaving Brazil, Michael had to start all over. He had to meet the right people, get the right equipment, and stay hidden from police or public view. Magic wasn't exactly banned in Seattle but it was frowned upon, and anyone whom practiced it had always ran into some trouble with the law. If that wasn't bad enough, Michael was an Elf. There wasn't an Elf of planet Earth who didn't some form of magic. Trying to avoid the police or suspicion was like cat trying to avoid mice, it just didn't work.

Michael rounded a corner and heard some rustling down a dark alleyway, he listened closely and heard muffled screaming. He knew what it was, it happened almost daily in Seattle. Some poor woman was being mugged. Michael had one of two options: He could be a hero and save the day or he could go about his business and not be late for his appointment with the contractor. Michael had been itching for some action and decided to go along with option one. He pulled off his hoody jacket, pulled out a concealed pistol from his pants, attached a silencer and made his way down the alley quietly. Elves weren't know for their strength or their bulk, they were known for their speed, agility, and cunning. The two criminals didn't know what was about to hit them.

Michael peered out from behind a dumpster and saw two men dressed in black mugging a young woman. One was going through her purse while the other was wrestling with her. Michael quietly walked up behind the man going through her purse. He grabbed the base of his chin with one hand, and his cranium with the other and pulled them in opposite directions. The jerk was quick, strong, and quiet. Michael didn't stop twisting until he heard a satisfying _snap_ and felt the man go limp. He threw the body to the ground and drew his pistol in one motion. He aimed down the iron-sights and lined them up with the base of the man's skull. With quiet precision Michael pulled the trigger and felt the pistol jerk back into his hand. There wasn't an echo or even a sound that could be distinguished from the pounding of the rain all around them.

The man's body jerked up and stood there for a moment, balancing on dead legs. The man wobbled a little until the woman pushed him over and he fell the ground in a heap. Michael looked at her blood spattered face, her long brown hair fell in front of her teary eyes. She couldn't have been a day over 20. Michael holstered his pistol and asked, "Are you okay?" She brushed away her hair and said, "I am now, thanks to you." Michael looked down at the two motionless bodies and said, "I'm sorry you had to see this." She looked down as well and walked towards him, stopping to kick the body of her attacker along the way. "No, I'm glad I saw it. These bastards deserved it." Michael nodded curtly and turned to walk away, but the woman yelled out after him, "Wait! What's your name?"

Michael turned and said, "I'm one of the few Elves in this town, I stand out enough as it is. I think it's best that you don't know my name." She stood akimbo and looked at him with unsatisfaction, "Well what can I call you then?" Michael thought back to his childhood. In the Elvin culture, it was customary to give a male Elf reaching adulthood a secondary name. Michael hadn't seen anyone from his home in years. So he decided to use it. "Call me Sitja." She seemed puzzled by the name but nonetheless walked forward and held out her hand, "Well Sitja, it's nice to meet you. I'm Megan." Michael shook her hand gingerly and looked her square in her bright, piercing blue eyes. "I think we'd better go, the sooner we can put some distance between us and these guys the better." She nodded and they both walked back into the storm.

The two ran to get to cover from the heavy rain that was quickly turning to hail as they left the alley. They found shelter under an awning that was quickly filling with people. Michael began to feel uncomfortable, he felt like everyone's eyes were on him. His discomfort must have shown because Megan offered to go somewhere to eat. Michael looked at his watch, he was already late for his appointment. "Thanks but I already have plans, maybe some other time." He began to leave but she pulled him back by an arm. She pushed a crumpled piece of paper into his hand and closed his palm, "Here take this, I'm free Friday night." Michael forced a grin and left her. As he walked down the street he realized that it was practically deserted. The falling hail had forced everyone inside, and for the briefest of moments, Michael felt a sense of peace wash over him.

As he rounded a corner that took him to a small street with shops on either side he unfolded the paper Megan had given him. Just as he expected, it was a hastily scribbled phone number. He shoved it in his inner jacket pocket and continued along his way. Once he reached what looked like a bakery he walked inside and waited at the counter. He waited until the customers left and rang the bell on the counter two rapid times followed by two slower ones. A husky man walked out, the shopkeeper of both stores, Freddy from Jamaica. He threw his hands up in the air, "Michael! Awhile it been! How be you?" Michael shrugged and Freddy caught the meaning, "Oh, into trouble you run on ad way?" As they walked to the back of the store to an elevator that would take them down to the training room Michael said, "Nothing I couldn't handle. There was this girl being mugged." Freddy tisked, "Bad bid' ness dis city be. You know you can't play hero all da time Michael." Freddy pushed the down button and they both walked in the elevator as it began descending. "I know, but I do what I can, when I can."

Freddy leaned back against the elevator, "Dat good. Dose who have da power to do good, have the responsibility to do good. So what about dis girl Michael? Was she a good catch?" Michael remembered the number Megan had given him and her offer to go out the next night. "Well, she gave me her number but I don't think anything will come of it." Freddy opened the elevator door and they both walked out to the training deck. "Dat not true Michael. She gave you her number, dat mean she's interested. You should go for it, nobody should stay alone forever. What could it hurt? Just go out with her!" Michael sighed once again, "We'll see what happens." The two walked out onto a wide leather mat that was dark with blood, sweat, and other stains. Michael let the smell of the air creep up his nose, it was refreshing and it definitely woke him up. Freddy unbuttoned his shirt, "Alright, let's see this new trick you been cookin' up..."


	4. Forceful Friends

Chapter 3 - Forceful Friends

After their session, Michael and Freddy both went their separate ways. They had both agreed that it wouldn't be long before they saw each other again. Friends were hard to come by, and the only way you could make new friends was to accept friendship when and where you could. Michael had returned to his apartment on the waterfront and slept. In one word that was all he did, sleep. Michael never slept much, and when sudden spells of drowsiness washed over him he welcomed them with open arms. One evening Michael was just waking up from a day-long nap when someone knocked at his door. He crawled out of bed and opened the door.

It was Megan. "You never called me." Michael looked at a nearby calendar, it was Monday night. He looked back at her and she continued, "For one of the 'few elves in this town' you're sure hard to find. You know where I come from, there isn't such a thing as debt. Now get dressed, I owe you dinner." Michael put on some decent clothes and met her at the door. She was wearing a brilliant dark blue, sapphire dress. 'Underdressed' didn't even begin to describe Michael. "Where are we going?" She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the apartment, "A nice place, I hope they let you in."

They took a cab and drove down to the waterfront, Michael couldn't barely even recognize Megan as the girl in that alley three days ago. The cab stopped and they got out in front of the most expensive seafood restaurant in Seattle. Michael was in awe, "How did you get us a table here!?" She smiled, "I know some people." They walked in and sat down at a table the seemed to be in the center of the restaurant. Once they had both ordered their food Megan began conversing. "So, what's your story?" Michael was confused, "What do you mean?" "Well it's obvious you're not from around here. What's your story?" Michael took a deep breath, half the women would slap him if they knew he worked for RNA and the other half would ask him to help them out with money or favors. He began, "Well I'm a contractor for RNA, but I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be working there." She frowned, "Why not?" Michael was relieved that she didn't care, "Well there's just no jobs anymore. It's really slow and the people treat you like crap."

She shook her head, "You shouldn't put up with it, I bet you're just as talented as the next guy there." Michael smirked, "That's probably true but I'm not half as 'human' as he is." Megan looked down and understood what he meant. Wanting to brighten up the mood Michael asked, "So what about you?" She shook her head, "I'm just a small town girl trying to get on my feet in the big city. I was thinking about working for RNA or somewhere like that." Michael replied, "No, you don't want to work in the corporate world. With someone as pure as you in their midst they'd use you and use you until you had nothing left. Sure it seems like a good place to start out but once you go into the corporations, you never get out." She frowned, "Well what about you, why did you do it?" Michael sighed, "I...I didn't have many options when I signed on as a contractor. I knew what I wouldn't be and I knew what I could be. I knew what I had and what I didn't. I needed a lot of money fast, and contractors make a lot of money fast if they're good."

A couple hours later, Michael was walking Megan to her apartment. Megan opened her front door and invited him in. He walked in to see what seemed like a museum. Her living room was full of artifacts and ancient memorabilia. She noticed him looking and said, "Yeah, I like to collect things." Michael laughed, "You know you could start a museum." The two helped themselves to some wine and talked more for a couple of hours. After awhile Michael said, "It's probably time for me to go." He stood up and Megan suddenly said, "Wait." Michael turned to look at Megan whom was now standing and looking intently at him. Every woman offered permission differently, some obvious most so subtle that they could hardly be noticed. Megan's signs: a pursed lower lip, set shoulders, a deepened gaze were more noticeable than ever. Michael stepped forward, halting a step from her bright blue eyes.

Megan but her lower lip, looked him up and down and met him. Their hands fought past each other for reach of bodies. They moved as they wrestled with each other. Megan steering them both to her bed. As they neared the mattress they both collapsed onto the cushion but didn't skip a beat. Suddenly, Megan pulled away and stood over Michael. She began undoing the buckles of her dress, Michael realized how far behind he was in a race in which winning meant finishing at the same time. He tore off his shoes, fought to unbutton his shirt and ripped off his pants before Megan finished. When Michael looked up he saw Megan pacing toward him, wearing nothing but an intent gaze. She climbed on top of Michael and ran her fingers up around his shoulders and through his hair.

She gingerly kissed his cheek and began moving. Michael felt an ache that crept up his legs and resting in the small of his back, all he had to do was squeeze and he was spent. He felt the weight of her in his hands and felt the smoothness of her skin. Michael rose at the waist and rested Megan on her shoulders, cradling her head in one hand and steadying her waist with the other. With their eyes locked they began again. Michael moved back and forth, feeling the roundness of her bosom and staring into her bright blue eyes. Soon, Megan's face flushed and her eyes shut with a pained smile. They came apart and rolled onto their sides, Megan slid back into the bend of Michael's waist. Michael pulled the blanket over them and they lay there staring out the windows into the city lights. Megan began to shiver and Michael wrapped her tightly to keep her warm. Megan pulled Michael's arm tightly across her chest and said, "I'm glad I met you Michael."


End file.
